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The Unnatural History of the Sea: The Past and Future of Humanity and Fishing (Gaia Thinking)
 
 
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The Unnatural History of the Sea: The Past and Future of Humanity and Fishing (Gaia Thinking) [Paperback]

Callum Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 392 pages
  • Publisher: Gaia Books Ltd (30 Aug 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1856752941
  • ISBN-13: 978-1856752947
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 28,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

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Callum Roberts
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Review

"Roberts' powerful, almost poetic account of the history of fishing and its deleterious effects on the sea at once alarms and informs.""" --Bob Knight"Charleston Post & Courier" (09/23/2007) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

There is a crisis evolving because of over-fishing. Some predict that at current levels, all major fish stocks will have collapsed by 2050. In this compelling and meticulously researched book, Professor Callum Roberts provides a fascinating account of man's relationship with the sea, giving particular emphasis to the errors of fishing practices in the past, and starkly predicting the troubles of the future. "The Unnatural History of the Sea" is an impassioned yet engaging plea to recover the richness and diversity of marine life to ensure a healthy marine world for future generations.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was initially put off picking this book up by the fact that it has a commendation from Greenpeace on the front cover. However it is well researched and wonderfully written with the authors own easy style interspersed with quotations from various well chosen historical sources. He really manages to bring home how much we have changed our marine environment through over-exploitation of its natural resources (fish, whales etc).

I have some issues with the suggestion by the author that management of the ocean is currently split between Marine Reserves (0.6%) and what he calls an "Extensive Exploitation Area" (the rest). Much of this area I am sure could be regarded as Managed Zones (or perhaps "not very well managed zones"). His suggestions for the future management of the sea concur with those of the green fin brigade who think that we need to completely ban fishing from most of the ocean. Many others would suggest that what we really need to do is ensure effective management over all of the ocean in a manner that works with fishermen rather than against them.

I found this to be a really well written and informative book. If you are at all interested in the sea and marine life you should read it.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Shifting baselines 29 Sep 2008
Format:Paperback
This book is about the sea, but the same story could be told for mans exploitation of the land ecosystems. Only the inpoverishment occured earlier on land (Martin & Klein 1984). And this is the punchline of the book: shifting baselines is decieving the average spectator into believing, that nature wasn't much in the first place. This argument can still be heard. Why conserve nature if it wasn't much in the first place? The author of the book lists up the disasters and in doing so depicts the very much different nature there once was - and that can be again one day, if only we allow it. Please read this book.
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Format:Paperback
Callum Roberts is an eminent marine biologist. Amongst his areas of interest is the history of human exploitation of the sea's resources, particularly through fishing. If we are to manage fisheries sustainably and restore invaluable biodiversity to our oceans, it is vital that we understand the growth of fishing pressure through history. This book is therefore an important account of how we got into the current catastrophic mess and how we might begin to put things right. It is scholarly and important but it is, at the same time, extremely readable: full of contemporary detail and flavour and beautifully written. A book that I read and then bought several further copies to give to friends.
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